Timid Talent
by KHAngel
Summary: -AU- Sora is the most obnoxious popular boy in school. When his band is in search for a female lead, will the unpopular and clumsy, yet talented Kairi be able to take their band far? -SK-
1. Opening Song

**Summary: Sora is the most obnoxious popular boy in school. When his band is in search for a female lead, will the unpopular and clumsy, yet talented Kairi be able to take their band far? **

**Notes: Ok, I know I haven't updated my other stories, but this plot has been bugging the heck outta me! Forgive me and just enjoy the story. X.x And as for the name of the band … don't ask. **

**Oh, and FYI, Kairi's hair length in the first few parts of the story is short like it was in KH1. D: **

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own KH … yet. And I don't own the song lyrics, either!**

**Ages: **

**Kairi – 15 **

**Sora – 15 **

**Namine – 14 **

**Roxas – 14 **

**Selphie – 15 **

**Riku – 16 **

**Axel – 16 **

**Prologue **

* * *

As the school bell of Destiny High rang, Kairi stared up at her large school building. _I am so not ready for another day in this mad house … _She thought and sighed. 

"Kairi, c'mon, we'll be late to class if you keep standing there." came a voice from next to the redhead. Kairi turned her head to face her little sister, Namine. Namine had shoulder length bleached blonde hair and eyes that matched Kairi's, which were indigo. Kairi nodded and the two entered their learning facility. "Ready for another day?" That question made Kairi wish her sister could read her mind.

As the two walked down the halls, they got their usual stares from their fellow students. Kairi didn't understand why they always did stare. It's not like they were from the circus. She let out another soft sigh and looked down at Namine, who didn't mind all the attention. Kairi … kind of envied her sister. She was more confident in herself and … prettier than Kairi was. Kairi was just shy and quiet. "Well, I gotta get to class; I'll see you later, Kairi." Namine smiled at her and hurried off. Kairi watched her for a moment before realizing the time and hurrying off as well.

_Great, I'm going to be late—again! _She continued to run down the hall, holding her books close to her chest so she wouldn't drop them.

"Heh, there she goes again. Always in a rush."... That voice. Kairi only ran faster and ignored it. She didn't have time to deal with … them.

The popular boys … Sora, Riku, Axel and Roxas. The remark came from Sora. He had brown, spikey hair with a hint of copper in it and deep blue eyes. He was the 'leader' of the Populars; and the most obnoxious. "Timid bitch …"

"Now, now, Sora. No need for name calling. Although we all know its _true_." That comment came from Sora's best friend, Riku. He was considered the hottest in the group. He had shoulder length silver hair with bangs that almost concealed his deep ocean green eyes. A laugh was heard from Axel. He was the … ditz of the group. He had fire red, spikey hair that came down past his shoulders. His eyes were a deep green color and had brown "markings", as he liked to call them, under both his eyes. He was also the most perverted in the group.

"You guys are such retards …" came the response from the youngest of the group, Roxas. He was the 'sweet one', and was also Sora's little brother. His hair had an unusual shape; it was blonde and curved up like a wave … A hairstyle that would have to take a lot of hair gel to get just right, and his eyes matched his older brother's.

"_Shame_ on you, little bro." sneered Sora in an unimpressed tone," You should know better than to use name calling."

"Coming from the guy who just called someone a 'timid bitch.'" Roxas rolled his eyes in disgust. Sora only did the same and watched as Kairi ran around the corner.

* * *

The day ended in no time, which made Kairi relieved. She gathered up her stuff and walked out of her seventh period class. As she did, she halted when she heard, "Kairi, wait up!" She quickly spun around to see her childhood friend, Selphie, run up to her. Selphie had light brown hair that curled up to the sides of her head and bright green eyes. The redhead smiled to her and they walked out of the class together. "Sooo, are we going to the karaoke bar tonight?" Selphie asked in a sing-songy tone. "It _is_ Friday after all!" 

"I dunno."

"Aww. Well, make up your mind! I picked a great duet for us to sing!" Selphie clapped her hands excitedly. Kairi couldn't help but giggle and nodded.

"Ok."

"Yay! Ooh, this will be so much fun!" Kairi let out another giggle.

"Kairi! Selphie!" The two turned around to see Namine running up to them, waving her hand high in the air. The two smiled and waited for Namine to reach them. Once she caught up to them, the three continued to walk down the hall.

On their way toward the main entrance, they passed their least favorite people. The Populars. This time, the guys were accompanied by two girls. One had short black hair and dark brown eyes, named Yuffie. The other girl had brown hair that was tied up with a pink ribbon with a long curl going down her back and bright green eyes. Her name was Aerith. Yuffie was very athletic … and had a snobby attitude that went with it. Aerith thought she was better than everybody just because her boyfriend was the star on the varsity football team. The populars eyed the other three as they walked passed them. Kairi couldn't help but notice and watched them in the corner of her eye. She could see Sora sneer at her.

"Just ignore them." Selphie whispered to Kairi and Namine. They did so and walked out of the school. Namine stretched out her arms and smiled up at her sister and friend.

"So, what're we doing?"

"What else do we do on Friday? We're going to the karaoke bar, duh!" Selphie couldn't help but grin. Singing was one of her favorite things to do after all.

Namine chuckled. "Is it ok if I come tonight? I'm not doing anything else." Kairi and Selphie nodded and Namine grinned. Kairi then turned to Selphie.

"Say, what _is_ the duet you chose for us?" she blinked, curious and Selphie smirked.

"Not telling, it's a surprise." Kairi rolled her eyes playfully at her friend. It was like Selphie to leave everything a surprise. But Kairi didn't mind. She liked being surprised by Selphie's song choices. As the three continued to walk across the campus grass, Kairi tilted her head up toward the clear blue sky as she tucked a strand of her short hair behind her ear. She watched the clouds drift by and let the light breeze give her skin small chills. She let herself get lost in her thoughts and began to not pay any attention to her surroundings.

"K-Kairi, watch out!"

**_Bam! _**

Kairi met face first with a low hanging tree branch and fell back. The last thing she saw was Selphie and Namine kneeling down toward her with worried looks on their faces as she heard several laughs from onlookers.

* * *

"One, two, three, four!" 

Those words were accompanied with the sound of two drumsticks beating together. Shortly after a steady drum beat started with a flowing keyboard melody following. A matching bass tune came after, along with the sound of an electric guitar. The melody went on for a few moments before a voice joined in on a mic.

_"There you go!  
You're always so right;  
it's all a big show.  
It's all about you!_

_You think you know  
what everyone needs.  
You always take time  
to criticize me!_

_It seems li—" _

The singing voice was cut off when the sound of the bass went off beat. Everyone else seemed to notice as well because the music came to a stop. The singer quickly turned to the bass player with an irritated look. "Axel, what the hell?!"

"My bad, Sora! It was an accident!"

"You're an accident!" the drummer, Riku, suddenly called out. The one who played the keyboard, Roxas, laughed at Riku's remark.

"You meanies!" came Axel's childish response, along with him sticking his tongue out at Riku and Roxas.

"Whatever! Let's just take it from where we left off!" Sora sneered as he rolled his eyes. He readied his hands on his guitar and waited for everyone to follow. Riku raised his drumsticks in the air and started to beat them as before.

"One, two, three, four!" The music then started again from where it ended and Sora immediately resumed singing.

_"It seems like everyday  
I make mistakes;  
I just can't get it right!_

_It's like I'm the one  
you love to hate,  
but not todaaay!_

_So shut up, shut up, shut up!  
Don't wanna hear it!  
Get out, get out, get o—" _

"Wait a minute! Wait a minute!" everything stopped again and Sora slammed his foot to the floor, annoyed. Everyone turned to Roxas, giving him 'WTF?' looks.

"Dammit, Roxas!" Sora yelled.

"Shut up, man, it's not my fault your singing was way off!" Roxas yelled out.

"What?!" Sora snapped.

Axel rubbed the back of his head and stared down before lightly raising his hand to comment, "Uh, Sora? Dude's kinda right …" Sora looked over to Riku, who in turn quickly looked away, as if too scared to say they were right. Sora couldn't believe what he was hearing. They all never minded his voice before. What made this time so different? His anger only built up more and more as he continued to stare at his so called friends. He then turned away from them and started to tune his guitar. The others only looked at each other, surprised he didn't have an outburst.

"Alright, fine." Roxas, Riku and Axel all looked to Sora after he said that. "If my voice sucks, what do you guys think we should do, huh? None of you can sing any better!" The room fell silent. Sora had a point.

It took a few moments before Roxas called out," We could hold auditions for a lead singer!" His comment immediately made the other three snap their heads toward him. A new lead singer?

"That … is actually a good idea …" Riku nodded his head in approval. Roxas couldn't help but smile. He looked over to Axel and waited for his response.

"I agree with Riku. It's a kick ass idea." The three then again turned to face Sora. Sora didn't even respond and still had his back turned to them all. They all waited for what seemed like an eternity. Finally …

"That idea is so stupid."

The others just stared at him like he was crazy. Then again, it was like Sora to make such a comment. He thought all ideas that weren't his own were stupid. Riku then spoke up, "Oh c'mon, Sora! You asked what we should do about it, and Roxas gave a great idea! Don't be a dumbass!" Sora snapped his head around toward Riku with a pissed off look. Riku stood his ground.

"Think about it, Sora! We could get a hot chick to be our new lead singer!" Axel couldn't help but comment, rubbing his hands together with a smirk, thinking about how it would be if his suggestion came true. That made them all think. A girl lead singer? A lead singer who's a girl? It seemed like something their band needed. Riku again nodded his head in approval and Roxas gave Axel a thumbs up. They, again, waited for Sora's response. It didn't take long before Sora spoke up.

"Yeah, alright. I like that idea." The others looked shocked, but excited. Sora actually liked one of their ideas! They all then started to plan how they were going to handle the auditions.

* * *

**Well, there's the (crappy) prologue of the story. I already have the next two chapters done, but don't worry, they don't suck like this. I won't post any new chapters until you readers review, so … DO IT NOW, DAMMIT!! -clears throat- Please?**


	2. Ch 1: Discovery

**Notes: Well, here's chapter one. Thankies to all of you who reviewed! I gotta say I was shocked over how many I got in such a short amount of time. Oo I hope I won't disappoint you with this story!**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own KH! Because if I did, my OCs would be in it. -.- **

**The lyrics aren't mine either. ):**

**ONWARD TO CHAPPIE 1!! **

* * *

"Are you sure you're ok, Kai?" Namine asked as she looked at her sister. She, Kairi and Selphie were heading to the karaoke bar. Kairi had a tiny scratch on her forehead from her … incident. 

"Please stop asking me that, I'm fine." Kairi let out a small giggle. She found it cute how her sister would worry about her constantly. She looked up at the night sky for a moment to watch the stars twinkle above them.

"Don't go staring off into space, now!" Selphie suddenly shook Kairi by the shoulder lightly. "We don't want you to go walking into a pole!" She and Namine both laughed and Kairi blushed a bit from embarrassment, but giggled anyway. They finally reached their karaoke bar and walked inside. They found their usual table near the stage and sat down at it. As they looked up at the stage to watch the current performance, they got waves and greetings from other regulars and workers.

One girl walked past their table and gave a wave. "Hey guys! Kairi, looking forward to your performance!" Kairi smiled and waved back slightly.

"Wow, Kai! You're even more popular than you were the last time I came with you guys!" Namine said in awe. Kairi blushed a bit again and smiled sheepishly. People treated her differently than the students at their school. In the karaoke bar she was somebody. And not just anybody, somebody who could sing! Kairi then turned to Selphie with a smirk.

"Will you _please_ tell what song we're singing now?" Selphie playfully stuck her tongue out at her, as if saying "no." Kairi almost hopped up and down in her seat before controlling her excitement. Anyone in the bar could tell how much Kairi enjoyed singing. It was her absolute favorite thing to do—ever. She'd sing whenever she was alone or in front of her friends whenever she wasn't in the karaoke bar. People who've heard her sing, say she has an amazing voice—able to hit all ranges.

The performer finished up their song and everyone applauded. They got off the stage and one of the bar workers came up to the mic. "Alright, who wants to come up next?" He then spotted Kairi and grinned," Kairi! What about you?" he motioned the person who was working the stage light to aim it on Kairi's table. Everyone applauded and cheered, trying to get her up on stage. Kairi blushed and looked at her sister and lifelong friend, who in turn nodded at her to go up on stage. Kairi then got up on from the table and went on the stage, everyone cheering as she did. She walked up to the mic and whispered in the employee's ear what song she wanted. He nodded and walked off the stage to get her song ready. Shortly after, a soft melody started and Kairi stood in front of the mic. She then began to sing.

"_When you walk away you don't hear me say_

_please, oh baby, don't go._

_Simple and clean is the way that you're makin' me feel tonight._

_It's hard to let it go._

…

_You're givin' me _

_Too many things._

_Lately, you're all I need._

_You smiled at me, and said,_

_Don't_ _me wrong, I love you, _

_but does that mean I have to meet your father?_

_When we are older you'll understand_

_what I meant when I said 'No, I don't think life is quite that simple.'_

_When you walk away you don't hear me say_

_please, oh baby, don't go._

_Simple and clean is the way that you're makin' me feel tonight._

_It's hard to let it go. _

_Hold me._

_Whatever lies beyond this morning is a little later on._

_Regardless of warnings, the future doesn't scare me at all._

_Nothing's like before …"_

The music continued as Kairi stared out at the audience with a smile. The music came to a stop and Kairi let out a soft sigh, the smile still on her face. Cheering and applause came after the music ended and Kairi only smiled bigger. She nodded her head in a bow. As she walked off stage, Namine and Selphie came running up to her. Selphie hugged her as Namine clapped her hands for her sister's performance.

"Kai, you were so great!"

"Yeah! It's like … you keep getting better!" their responses, of course, made Kairi blush.

"Thanks, you guys." She said smiling. She let out a slight giggle. "Selph, c'mon! Let's do our duet right now! I'm pumped!" this made Selphie smile widely and she nodded.

"Ok!" she quickly made her way to the same employee Kairi spoke to and told him what they wanted to sing. He nodded and started to get the music ready. Selphie then ran back to Kairi, grabbed her hand and pulled her onto the stage as Namine went back to their table and waited for the show to begin.

* * *

As Kairi, Selphie, and Namine walked down the halls of the school they noticed a lot of ruckus, which made them ponder. "What the heck is going on?" Selphie asked, raising an eyebrow. 

"I dunno." Namine replied looking at all the students conversing excitedly. There were a bunch of brightly colored fliers on the walls, lockers, and scattered on the floor. Kairi halted as Selphie and Namine continued to walk down the hall, and bent down to pick up a flier off of the floor in front of her feet. She stood back up and her eyes scanned the paper in her hands before they grew wide.

"Look at this!" she exclaimed to the other two. Selphie and Namine immediately ran back to her and looked at the flier Kairi firmly gripped. Their eyes grew as wide as Kairi's.

"What the?!"

"Oh, you have GOT to be kidding!" The three looked at each other then back at the flier :

**ATTENTION ****POTENTIAL**** LADY SINGERS:**

**This Tuesday may be YOUR lucky day!!**

**BROKEN DISCIPLINE is looking for a female lead singer!**

**If you think you're good enough, come by the band room after school on Tuesday!**

**Auditions start at 3:30 and end at 4:30!**

**IF YOU HAVE TALENT AND KNOW IT, DON'T HESITATE TO COME!!**

"This is a joke, right?"

"It has to be!!" Kairi listened to the two's reactions as she kept re-reading the flier. It didn't make sense to her either. Broken Discipline was the band the Populars had formed. It was the reason why they were so popular. Besides from their looks, anyway.

Why on earth would they suddenly want a new lead singer? And a female one, no less! Did they finally get tired of Sora's singing? Did they get RID of Sora?! All of these questions were buzzing through Kairi's head. She finally came back to reality when hearing Selphie …

"Hey! Kai, you should try out!!" Kairi's head snapped around to face Selphie, her eyes as wide as when she read the flier. She then wiped off her shocked expression to replace it with a look of disgust.

"And you should get a reality check!!" Namine placed a hand on Kairi's shoulder and turned her around to face her.

"Kairi, this could be it!"

"What?! You, too?!"

Namine continued, "Listen to us. If you go to that audition and make it—"

"Which, of course, you will!" Selphie quickly noted, jumping to Namine's side.

"—you can teach those jerks a lesson!"

Kairi blinked as she stared blankly at the two, "Lesson??"

"Yeah!"

"…"

Selphie jumped in to reply, "Think about it. You know those dolts are obnoxious! If you nail that aud—"

"Listen, guys, I get what you're trying to say. But don't bother. I'm not going to audition."

"But Kai—"

"NO!" and with that, Kairi marched down the hall disgustedly, balling up the flier and throwing it over her shoulder.

* * *

_Me? Audition to be in THEIR band?! Yeah, right! Never in a million years! _Kairi wandered the empty hallway during lunch, not getting over what Selph and Namine suggested. It was now Tuesday, the day of the audition. _Teach them a lesson? Please!_

As she walked further down the vacant halls, she passed the band room. After a few seconds she halted. She then looked over her shoulder and stared at the room's door. With a huff and a roll of her eyes, the redhead slowly turned around and walked toward the door. _I must be out of my mind …_ She peered in through the door's small glass window and blinked. The room was empty. She would've at least expected the Populars to be setting up their instruments. School was almost over after all.

Kairi paused for a moment then looked down both ends of the hallway. She reminded herself that no one was there but her. After a deep sigh, she opened the band room door and walked inside, closing it behind her. She examined the room. There wasn't much inside. Just a few band instruments, some chairs with music stands in front of them, and a closed door that must've lead to the band storage closet. _… Why did I come in here, again?_

Something then caught her indigo eyes. She slowly walked further into the room and toward a piano in the corner. When she reached it, she slowly slid onto the seat in front of it. She let her fingertips flow across the keys, but didn't press on them so they wouldn't play. Kairi never could resist being in front of a piano. A smile slowly formed on her face as she played a single note. She then took in a breath and slowly began to play a soft melody, her voice joining in a several notes later.

"_I lose my way,_

_no one cares._

_The words I say,_

_no one hears._

_My life, it seems,_

_is a world of dreams._

_Deep in the night,_

_you'll find me._

_Dream and you might,_

_behind me, stay._

_If you will stay,_

_we'll dream the night awaaay …_

_Dreams to dream._

_In the dark of the night._

_When the world goes wrong,_

_I can still make it right._

_I can see so far in my dreams,_

_I'll follow my dreams--" _

* * *

Meanwhile, Roxas walked out of the cafeteria after throwing away his half-eaten lunch. He was relieved the girls weren't trying to follow him for once. They were too busy trying to tell Sora how they know he'll pick them for the band. Roxas rolled his eyes at the thought. He left the cafeteria to fix up the band room ahead of time. He was really the only one in Populars who actually cared about getting things done. 

He made his way to the band room, but suddenly halted when something caught his attention.

"_There is a star_

_waiting to guide us;_

_shining inside us, _

_when we close our eeeyes …"_

It was … someone singing! Roxas's eyes grew wide as he listened to the muffled voice. It sounded so beautiful. So pure and chilling that it sent a wave down his spine. He quickly tried to find where the source; only to figure out a few seconds later it was coming from the band room. He immediately looked through the window … and his eyes only grew wider. The person singing was … Kairi?! That shy, clumsy girl could sing?!

Roxas's jaw dropped as he continued to listen to Kairi sing.

"_Cooome with me._

_You will see what I mean._

_There's a world inside_

_no one else ever sees._

_You will go so faaar in my dreams,_

_somewhere in my dreams,_

_your dreams will cooome truuue …" _

Kairi continued to play the melody as her voice drifted out of the song. As she played, she couldn't help but smile. She felt so good when she sang; it was her only cure for getting away from reality. Suddenly, her playing abruptly stopped when she heard the door slowly open and shut with a soft click. _Oh no … _

She snapped her head around to see who had come in; and she regretted that she did. Roxas was standing in front of the door, his eyes as wide as her own. Kairi began to panic and jolted out of the piano seat, causing her hand that was still perched on the edge of the piano to slip and fall against the piano keys, which in turn caused a loud blast of notes to play in unison. Because of the sudden burst of music, Kairi yelped and lost balance … and fell backwards over the fallen piano seat.

"AAH!!" She hit the back of her head on the hard carpet and groaned in pain. She then slowly began to sit up, her hand rising to the back of her head. Once she started to rub where it hurt, she gasped when she heard footsteps rushing to her side. Kairi quickly looked up and to see Roxas falling to his knees beside her with a worried expression on his face. She then felt heat rising to her cheeks from embarrassment.

"Are you alright?!" the tone in his voice sounded worried too … but why did he care …? Roxas outstretched his hand to drape it across Kairi's shoulders in order to help her up. Because of his actions, Kairi flinched and quickly swatted his hand away. When Roxas quickly drew his hand back, Kairi finally snapped.

"Why do you care!?" her response made Roxas flinch. Kairi's angry expression slowly melted away as a look of guilt formed. She then looked downward, still blushing because of her actions. "Sorry …" _Why are you apologizing?! This is probably a trick! Why the heck would he care anyway!? _

"It's ok." Kairi's eyes drifted up to look at Roxas, who didn't seem angry. "I guess I sorta deserved it. Coming in here and startling you and all …" _Now he's apologizing …?_ Kairi had a look of both confusion and shock on her face now. Roxas smiled as he began to stand up. He continued to look down at the still confused Kairi. He held out his hand, as if offering to help her up.

"Uh …" after a pause Kairi slowly took the boy's hand and he immediately helped her to her feet. Kairi then dusted herself off and looked at Roxas. "Um … thanks …" Roxas then nodded and slightly tilted his head, smiling. Kairi blinked. "… What …?"

"You have an amazing voice." Kairi felt the blush return to her face as her eyes drifted away from his face.

"I-it's no big deal … It's not all that good." She rubbed her arm and looked down at the floor. Was this another 'trick'? … No, it couldn't be. He was being nice to her so far.

"Psh …" Roxas scoffed and rolled his eyes. Kairi looked back to him with a raised eyebrow, seeing he was giving her the same look. "Maybe you are as dumb as you seem if you think that." Kairi felt her temper rising and balled her hand into a fist. Was that SUPPOSED to be a compliment?

"I don't have time for your wise cracks …" she suddenly walked past Roxas and headed toward the door. _Was that his way of sweet talkin' me? I should've known he was the same as the others …_ She was now in front of the door and gripped the knob, turning it._ Maybe I really am 'as dumb as I seem' if I thought even for a minute that—_

"Audition for our band."

Kairi stiffened. _What …?_

* * *

**There ya go! Chappie 1! Told ya it would be better than the prologue! Anyway, what'd you think? Tell me in a review if you want an update:3 Sadly though, there's a lot to work out in chappie 2 that I'm not satisfied with, so it might take a while to fix and stuff. Be patient. **

**Sorafanluver – My first review! I'm so touched that you liked it! **

**Aryll Higushi – I hope I don't let you down with this story! Especially when it comes to Axel's diztiness! **

**Arnen – Aww, thankies. x3**

**Again, Thankies to all who reviewed! I hope my story won't suck! ;w; **

**Bai for nowz!**


	3. Quick AN

Hiya all you readers.

Just have to make a quick author's note, but first I wanna thank you all for your fast reviews! It means a lot to me. ;w;

Ok, just so you know – I'm sick. So the next chappie may take a little more time. (Yes, I know I said I already had it done, but like I also said before: I have to fix some stuff in it.) So please be patient with me, I wanna be able to wow you all without making any mistakes.

That's pretty much all I have to say, but while I'm typing, I wanna respond to some reviews. :3

**Aryll Higushi** - Aww! I'm so glad you liked this chappie too! And don't worry about your English so much, you type it well. :D -cough- And Sora's mine ... xD

**Sorasheart281** - Sorry about those mistakes. X.x I'll be more careful next time. xD

**DJ HiHi Kimiko** - YAY! Another happy reviewer!! ;w; YepYep, I made them sibliiings! xDD Dou itashimashite. :3

Anyway, that's all. Bai!

**-Nizzi**


	4. Ch 2: Auditions

**Note: Chappie 2 is here! -throws confetti- I got this done a lot faster than I thought I would. Thankies for your reviews. n-n**

**Grrrrr, I'm so mad! The lyrics double spaced in Chappie 1! That wasn't supposed to happen and I dunno how to fix it. ;-;**

**Disclaimer: I don't own KH! Grrr … **

**Anyway … HEEEEEEEERE'S CHAPPIE 2!!**

* * *

Kairi had her hand firmly gripping the door knob of the band room. She was just about to leave, but after hearing Roxas … 

"_Audition for our band."_

She couldn't move.

"…" neither of them said anything. But that changed when Roxas added, "I think you'd make it in if you did."

"I don't want to be in your band." Kairi finally stated without hesitation.

"…" Kairi looked over her shoulder and saw Roxas looking away from her, as if disappointed. After letting out a soft sigh, Kairi opened the door and left without looking back or uttering a word.

* * *

It was seventh period, the final class of the day. Minutes lingered for what seemed like hours to Kairi, who was staring out of the window and watching the people taking gym run laps. What happened earlier kept repeating itself in her head. Roxas actually wanted her to try out for Broken Discipline! It made Kairi feel overwhelmed … but she also felt guilty. She rejected Roxas's offer. 

_Why do I feel so bad? I never wanted to audition in the first place! I'm not going to let one more person suddenly change my mind! After all, let's not forget who's IN the band … _Kairi's perfectly shaped eyebrows narrowed as she thought about it. Sure … Roxas was in the band. But he actually turned out to be nice. The main focus was the other members … Sora, Riku, and Axel.

_I'm not going to change my mind! _She continued to repeat to herself in her head. Suddenly, a knock came to the class room door and all heads turned to it. The teacher paused his lesson to open the door. When he did, he found a teacher standing in the doorway with a small note raised in his hand. He exchanged the paper and then left. Once Kairi's teacher took the note he closed the door. He walked back toward his desk while reading it. With a clearing of his throat, he looked up to his class and spoke out.

"Would one of you like to volunteer to help, uh …" he looked back down at the paper before continuing, "'Broken Discipline' set up their equipment in the band room?" The room fell silent, but that soon changed when the female population of the class, Kairi and Selphie excluded, suddenly screamed in excitement. They all waved their hands high up in the air while yelling at the teacher to pick them to help out. This made the teacher flinch and step back as the uproar continued. The boy population all covered their ears to block out the screaming of the rabid teenage girls.

Kairi suddenly heard a voice flow directly into her ear from behind, "Ugh! Look at these bimbos!" Kairi blinked and looked over her shoulder to Selphie who had her arms crossed and was rolling her eyes. "It's pathetic!" Kairi turned her attention back ahead of her and mimicked Selphie's eye rolling.

"Y'got that right …"

"Ok! Settle down, everyone!!" came the teacher's poor attempt to calm the class down. Once they miraculously started to, the teacher scanned the room to see who he'd choose. All of the rabid girls were beaming at him and were on the edge of their seats as they waited. "Hmmm …" his eyes then landed on Kairi and he smiled. "Kairi! Go!"

"WHAAAAAT?!" was the loud response from all the girls in the class, including Kairi herself.

"Uh, sir, I really don—"

"Psst! Kai!" came Selphie's whisper from behind. Kairi's head snapped around toward the brunette and saw that she had a wide grin on her face. Kairi's eye then twitched at it and she regretted asking …

"What …?"

"You should totally go!" she beamed, and then muttered under her breath, "And then audition …"

"Wha--?!"

"Kairi!!" Kairi's attention instantly turned back to the teacher, startled. "The band room? Now!" Kairi groaned in annoyance as she slid down her seat. There was no getting out of it. She knew that.

"Have fuuun …" chimed Selphie in her usual sing-songy tone. With a loud huff, the redhead got out of her seat, grabbed her bag, and slowly made her way to the door. Out of the corner of her eye she could see the girls shooting her hatred and envy glares. She chose to ignore it and left the room.

* * *

As Kairi made her way to the band room, thoughts were buzzing in her head again. _Great! Now I have to go and help! That means I'll be stuck in there with Roxas again! And … Sora … _She gasped to herself at the thought. Roxas was one thing, but Sora was another! She knew he hated her, and by telling, she hated him too! _DAMMIT ALL!!_ She screamed in her head as she found herself now in front of the band room again. She let out a low groan and slowly grabbed the knob as she did before. With a turn, she opened the door and stepped inside, closing it behind her. 

There was silence. Kairi had her back to the room. She was too scared to turn around and look the Populars in the eye. However, it all seemed … too quiet. The redhead noted this and peered over her shoulder. The room was empty. Kairi blinked and turned fully around, looking around to see if her indigo eyes were deceiving her. They definitely weren't. Kairi was alone in the room again. The only difference from before was the fact that the Broken Discipline's instruments were now in the room.

_What?! They call me down here to help and those jerks aren't even here?! _She was now fuming. Her hands tightly gripped at the straps of her bag.

It then suddenly clicked in her head. _Wait a minute! They're not here! That means I can set their stuff up and leave before they can even GET here! I won't have to face them at all! YES!! _Her eyes were now beaming and she tilted her head upward to mouth a 'thank you' to the heavens.

Without anymore hesitation, Kairi got to work.

She unzipped the instrument cases and carefully pulled out the music makers they held. After setting them up on their stands and in their right positions, she ran into the open storage closet and came back out with a microphone in one hand, and its stand in the other. She set them up and plugged them into one of the amplifiers, along with the other electrical band instruments. As she eyed her quick work, Kairi tried to make sure she didn't forget anything. Then it hit her. She quickly made her way back to the guitar and bass's cases and searched the velvet pockets inside. Success! She found their picks! Now all she had to do was place them somewhere where Sora and Axel could see and she could go!

Her indigo orbs scanned the room. _Where to put them?? _It then dawned on her. She could just leave them in their cases. Kairi then smacked her forehead over her stupidity and put them back in their rightful place. But in her rushing to do so, her thumb nail accidentally flicked against the edge of one of the picks and it flew across the room and hit the mic stand. _Oh, come ON!!_

With an aggravated huff, she moved back to the microphone stand and looked all around the floor. She spotted the pick beside the stand and went down to pick it up. As she picked it up with absolute carefulness, she froze when she heard—

"So you changed your mind?" That voice. _Roxas! _Kairi let out a gasp and she instantly bolted up, hitting the top of her head on the angled mic in its stand.

"OW!!" her hand immediately flew to the top of her head and she rubbed it, wincing. She then remembered who had entered the room and snapped her head around toward Roxas. She didn't even here the door open, but there he was -- trying to fight back a snicker. He shook his head, the smirk staying planted on his face.

_Great! I was so close to avoiding this! _Kairi's face turned red in embarrassment. Roxas began to make his way toward her. "You ok?"

"I'm fine. I'm used to it, after all ..." She didn't look him in the eye. She only stared at the pick in her hand and held it out to Roxas. "Here." The blond took it and Kairi finally looked at him. "And no. I didn't. I got called here to set up your stuff. And now that I'm done, I can finally go." Roxas watched Kairi as she went to where she set her bag down, picked it up and headed for the door. The two didn't say anything and Kairi stared down at the floor the whole time.

She was almost home free, but then …

"Reconsider auditioning." It was back to this again. Kairi let out a sigh and turned to Roxas.

"I already told you. I don't wanna be in y—"

"I know, but at least sing in front of the others."

"Why?"

"Because I wanna prove them wrong."

Kairi blinked. That's what Selph and Namine were trying to say to her. "Why do _you_ wanna prove them wrong?"

"Because I told them about earlier. I said your voice rocked." Kairi's eyes widened and her mouth dropped slightly. _He what?! _By the look on her face, Roxas knew what she was thinking, "They laughed."

Kairi's mouth shut and her expression became blank. "That's exactly what I wanted to hear. Thank you." There was obvious sarcasm in her tone. She was actually surprised she was holding up a conversation with someone who wasn't her friend. She rarely spoke to anyone who wasn't in the 'trio'. She tried to leave again, but with no prevail. It was beginning to get tiresome.

"Ok, fine. You don't have to sing. But would you at least stay and help us with our equipment? You seem like you know what you're doing." Kairi blinked, not expecting that at all. She looked over her shoulder to him unimpressed. Roxas made it sound as if he didn't know how to handle his own instrument.

"You sure you're not just too lazy to take care of your stuff yourself?" Roxas was certainly taken aback by this. This girl was supposed to be 'shy'? He raised a brow and nodded his head.

"I'm sure …" he stated. Kairi now felt a little guilty. After all, he was being nice to her, and he did seem persistent since he _supposedly_ tried to tell his friends how well she could sing ...

"… Fine …" her voice was very quiet, but it was loud enough for Roxas to hear. He smiled to her.

"Thanks, uh …" he paused for a moment as Kairi raised her eyebrow again. She knew why he was pausing.

"Kairi …"

"Huh?"

"My name is Kairi …"

"Oh! Uh, right. Thanks, Kairi." He put on a sheepish smile and blushed from embarrassment and guilt. She didn't know why, but Kairi found it … cute how he acted. She playfully rolled her eyes and set her bag down where she last had it.

_Maybe it won't be so bad … To sing in front of them, I mean … _

Suddenly, a voice came from behind, "Isn't this a surprise!"

_Oh, no …_

The redhead slowly peered over her shoulder to see Sora; the last person she wanted to see. He had his usual look of disgust on his face, "If it isn't Clumsy." Kairi then heard a snicker come from behind him and saw Riku and Axel over his shoulder. This certainly made her feel better. _I take that back …_

"I think you're a little early. Auditions are AFTER school. No exceptions." Riku smirked.

"I'm not here to audition." Kairi flatly stated and walked away from the three of them. Axel blinked as Riku and Sora traded sneers.

"She's here to help." Roxas pointed out as Kairi made her way to him.

"With what?!"

"The instruments."

"Like HELL she is!!" Sora snapped. Kairi and Roxas flinched, but Riku and Axel seemed to take Sora's side. Sora personally never liked people messing with his guitar. Axel and Riku knew where he was coming from though. They didn't particularly allow their instruments to be handled by someone either than themselves either; so Roxas expected this at least.

"Shut it, ok? She takes better care of your stuff than you dolts do. I'm the one who asked for someone to come down and help us out – and _she_ came." The more Kairi listened to Roxas stand up for her, the more she started to take a liking to him.

"But-But!" Axel attempted to whine, shooting a pouting lip to Roxas, who in turn only gave him a 'don't even go there' expression.

"Oh-ho! Wait a minute!" cracked Sora, who was smirking and tilting his head downward to the floor. "You expect me to believe that SHE can, not only sing, but take care of instruments too?! Get real, Rox!"

"Sounds like something you should do instead." Roxas muttered. Sora, however, heard it.

"Um … what did you say?" he pretended to act like he wasn't angry. But the way the two brothers were glaring at each other, it was as if their eyes were yelling an entire argument to back and forth.

"Ooh! Ooh! Cat fight!" clapped Axel excitedly as he watched the two. Riku rolled his deep green eyes at his friend's remark. Kairi, however, was taking this all in. Did they really all act this way around each other?

_**BRRIIIINNNGGGG!!**_

The final bell of the day suddenly erupted through the halls, startling all the people in the room. In no time, a bunch of jumpy girls were forming what was supposed to be a line outside the band room door. Kairi's lower lip twitched as she stared at all of them as Riku sighed in annoyance. "Let hell begin …"

* * *

Five minutes to 4:30. Kairi wouldn't take her eyes off of the clock on the band room wall. Just five more minutes and all of this would be over. Although she earlier agreed with Roxas to help out, she regretted doing so. Because when all the chaos began, Sora decided to keep her with them during the auditions in case he would ever 'require anything'. She was about ready to rip her red locks out if she heard the same song play one more time. Her ears were already bleeding for the horrid auditions that passed. She could tell the band was getting tired too, and ever since Yuffie and Aerith arrived to give their 'support', they've been making the calls to do what was 'best for the band'. Which … in a way, they did. Not one of the girls were good. And thanks to Aerith and Yuffie, they were able to leave with whatever dignity they had left. Namine and Selphie even dropped by to check on Kairi, only to get shooed away by the two. 

_FI-NAL-LY!!_ Kairi screamed in her head as the clock now read 4:30. She gave a sigh of relief that this was all almost over. She watched as the last girl dragged herself out of the room, Yuffie patting her back in 'comfort' and closing the door behind her right after. Once she turned to the rest of her fellow Populars, and Kairi, her fake smile immediately washed away and turned into a look of disgust—the trademark Popular look, no doubt. "UGH!! Thank DESTINY it's OVER!!" she groaned loudly in annoyance and slumped back over to Aerith.

It was as if she took the words right out of Kairi's mouth. All she had to do was pack up and then she could leave!

"OK! That was a total bust! GREAT IDEA, guys!!" snapped Sora. Everyone fell silent. "That's the last time I ever listen to an idea that isn't my own!!" Kairi rolled her eyes in disgust after he sputtered out those words. She should've known that Sora would ever concoct the idea. He was too proud of himself to.

Roxas turned his gaze from the enraged Sora to the quiet Kairi. He gave her this look that made Kairi wish he didn't. His face had 'sing!' written all over it. Kairi quickly focused her attention on a random object in the room. Anything to keep herself from looking at Roxas and feeling guilty.

"Now what, huh?" Riku asked as he twirled one of his drumsticks in the air. Sora crossed his arms and spoke out before anyone else could.

"I stay the lead. Duh." The rest of the band traded looks as Aerith and Yuffie grinned at the idea. They didn't like the idea of a new girl coming into the group and supposedly taking the place of their precious leader. Then again, the rest of the Populars didn't either. Except for Roxas -- And he had someone in mind.

"Well, let's start packing up and get the hell outta here!"

"Don't you mean let _Clumsy_ start packing up?" Sora answered without hesitation as he strummed his guitar with its pick. Kairi sighed.

"Her name's Kairi, asshole." This threw off Sora's concentration and he slowly creaked his head to look over his shoulder, shooting a glare at Roxas.

His eye then twitched, "Why am I not surprised you'd comment, bro?"

"Because you're too smart, bro." Obvious sarcasm. Kairi watched in silence, as did the others. To Kairi, this was getting out of hand.

She stood up, "Well, uh … I should probably get to work." There was an odd silence.

"Yeeeaaah … I'm gonna ditch." Aerith spoke out, breaking it. She held out her hand in front of her face to inspect her nails, "I have a manicure appointment and I don't wanna waste my time … here." She gave a quick glare to our favorite red-headed girl and left, dragging Yuffie with her; much to Yuffie's relief.

Kairi watched them leave and then looked to the remaining four band members. She was surprised they didn't leave as well and watched them as they talked.

"Did you get Sephiroth's essay at _all_??" Riku randomly asked.

"Psh, yeah right. I ditched his class today."

"Again?? Ax, you're gonna fail his class!" Roxas yelled.

"Don't worry, Roxie, it's allll taken care of …"

"Don't call me that …" Kairi blinked as she continued to watch them. They were actually acting normal for the most part.

She soon found all eyes on her and froze. "Uh …" Sora turned his gaze away from her to go back to playing a melody on his guitar, sneering. Riku went back to tapping a beat on his drums. Axel and Roxas however, still had their eyes planted on Kairi. "Is … something wrong?" she found herself asking them.

"Yeah, you didn't try out!" Axel whined while pouting.

_WHAT?!_ Kairi's eyes widened just as a loud blast erupted from Sora's guitar. Axel's comment threw off his concentration. There was another odd silence as everyone stared at Sora's back. Suddenly, the room was filled with Sora's roaring laughter. As the rest of the group continued to stare at him, Sora turned around to them; still laughing and smirking at Axel.

"You're … you're not serious are you, Ax?!" he laughed. Kairi balled her hands into fists and held them tightly at her sides as her eyebrows narrowed down at him. "Oh, oh! Wait, I get it now! You wanted to hear her screw up, right?!"

_Yeah, that's probably it … _Kairi felt her temper vanishing to be replaced with sadness. Her eyes drifted away from the Populars.

"Alright, I changed my mind." Sora went on, "Go on, _Kairi_. Let's hear that voice of yours!" He let out a chuckle as his smirk only grew. Roxas shot him a cold glare as Riku and Axel traded expressions. Kairi was silent. She continued to look away from them all. Her eyes started to sting as she felt hot tears forming.

_Stop it … Just shut up … _

"We're waitiiing!" mocked Sora. Kairi tried to fight back her tears, but it wasn't working. _Stop crying!! _She tried not to let the others see.

"Hey … she's crying …" Riku quietly pointed out.

"Way to go, Sora!" Roxas yelled.

"Why the hell do you care?!"

A couple of tears were now making their way down Kairi's cheeks. She couldn't take it anymore. Her hand swooped down to the floor to grab her bag and she dashed out of the door, leaving the others silent.

* * *

_Stupid …! _That's what Kairi kept yelling in her head. _You're so stupid! Why did you have to start crying?! _

She watched as her running feet carried her across the concrete sidewalk of her neighborhood. Once she found herself in front of her driveway, she only ran faster to reach her sanctuary – home. The only place she ever truly felt safe. As she dashed into the house, she immediately ran up the stairs standing across of the door way.

"Kai?!" yelled a worried Namine from just the other room.

Kairi heard her, but paid no attention. She just wanted to slam her bedroom door, throw herself onto her bed and wish all of it away. Sora always made her feel crummy, but this was an all new low. She didn't know why she was crying this much and it made her feel pathetic.

_Stop crying! You're better than this! You're better than THEM!! _Her thoughts were finally starting to calm her down and she pulled her face out from her pillow. For the rest of the night she consumed herself in her thoughts.

* * *

Selphie fingers twirled at her locker's combination lock. Namine stood beside her, "So, yeah … that's what happened …" 

"Jeez …" was all Selphie could say as she opened her locker and put her seventh period text book inside, "Thanks for telling me – Kai wasn't in the mood to talk on the phone last night."

"Yeah, I know. She stayed in her room all night; I'm glad we talked at all." Namine's back met the cold locker door behind her and she held her texts books close to her chest. "I feel so terrible. I wish I was more help to her."

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Nami," chirped Selphie as she patted the blonde's shoulder, "just being there to listen is all Kairi needs – you know that."

"Yeah, you're right."

"Hey, uh …" Selphie and Namine's heads immediately turned to where the sudden voice came from. Their eyes widened slightly as they stared at the speaker – Roxas. And the rest of the boy Populars were behind him, except for Sora. "You're Kairi's friends, right?"

"What's it to ya?" snapped Selphie with a raised brow. Roxas blinked and took a step back.

"Uh, well … could you give this to Kairi when you see her?" he held up a video tape with a folded piece of notebook paper taped to it. Namine blinked at it as Selphie snatched it from Roxas's hand.

Selphie inspected the note and pulled it off, then began to unfold it; much to Axel's displeasure, "Heyyyy—" but before he could finish protesting, Selphie shot him a glare which made him hide behind Riku. "Scary!" With a roll of her eyes, Selphie finished unfolding the paper and Namine immediately looked over her shoulder to read it as well.

* * *

"KAI!! KAIRI!!" Selphie and Namine called out as they were stampeding down the hallway toward Kairi's locker. Kairi pulled her head out of her locker to see them. Once they were finally in front of her, Selphie and Namine tried to catch their breath. 

Kairi blinked in both confusion and concern. "What's wrong?!" Once she was some-what calm, Selphie shoved the video tape in Kairi's face, who flinched and almost fell back. "What's this?!" Namine looked up to her sister.

"The Populars … told us to give it to you …!" she managed to say between pants. Kairi's eyes went wide as she stared at her sister and lifelong friend, then at the tape. Namine then held up the folded piece of paper that was taped to the video, "And this too! But Roxas said you had to watch the tape first!"

"Wh-what's on it?!" Kairi was hoping this wasn't some kind of trick, but by the way Selphie and Namine were acting, it couldn't be. But still ...

"We don't know, but it must be pretty important because we read the note!" Namine blurted. Now Kairi was tempted to just read the note, but if Roxas told her to watch the tape first …

"Let's go to your place and watch it!" Selphie suggested in a rush. _What the heck is all of this about?! _

* * *

The three girls were all sitting in Kairi's living room in front of the TV. Selphie held up the TV's remote and pushed the play button. They waited as the screen showed nothing but static. "What the …?" Selphie quietly questioned. The screen then suddenly changed and showed the school's band room. "I repeat: What the?!" 

"Hey, wait! Look!" Namine pointed to the screen. Kairi let out a loud gasp. _This is …! _The screen showed Kairi sitting in front of the piano and singing -- It was the footage during lunch on Tuesday! After watching the footage for a second longer, Kairi quickly turned to Namine.

"Where's that note?!" Namine paused and then dug through her pockets. She pulled out the folded paper and Kairi quickly took it and unfolded it.

Her jaw gapped after reading the single sentence : _**"Welcome to the band." **_

* * *

**GAH!! My fingers hurt from typing!! Jeez that chappie was boring and extremely long —but worth it!! Yes, yes, I know a few parts in there weren't needed, but I wanted to keep 'em! Now we can go onto the _fun_ parts!**

**Now comes the hard part. Deciding what to put in Chappie 3! I didn't even start on it yet! T.T Be patient please! **

**Aryll Higushi**** - -pulls Sora toward her- Hehe. xDD We can share, can't we? **

**Jules**** – Yay, I'm glad you like it! **

**DJ HiHi Kimiko**** – He will soon enough. :3**

**estrellaz**** – Ooh, so I picked a good name, ne? xDD**

**SimplySarah1221**** – Yes, it does make sense. But, see, here's the problem: when I write in detail, I go overboard – so yeah, I'm happy with simple. xDD;;;**

**Kintora**** – Does he have a crush on her? And why is he nice to her? … Aye, I would answer those, but I won't. ;D You'll just have to wait and reeeead. **

**Anywho, wish me luck with Chappie 3! And thankies to all who wished for me to get well! Bai Bai!**

**-Nizzi**


	5. Ch 3: Reasons

**

* * *

**

Notes: Miss me? -screams and dodges random objects being thrown at her- I'm sorry, I'm sorry!! I know it's been forever since I've updated, but sooo many things have happened!!

**First, my laptop crashed (no files were harmed, thankfully), and it took some months before my dad finally went to go get it fixed. Second, there was school, exams, and all of that fun stuff! -gags at the thought- And my summer has been kinda hectic with work and family visits. And most importantly-- I HAD A REALLY BAD CASE OF WRITER'S BLOCK!! **

**I'M SSSOOOORRRRYYYYYYY!! At least I'm updating now, right!? Although this chappie pretty much sucks because I was just dabbling... I'm not proud of it at all...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own KH or the lyrics! The cookies said so … **

**Sooo, without further adieu...!! The really crappy Chappie 3!! **

* * *

Roxas opened his locker and pulled his backpack out of it. He stared blankly at the back of his locker, scanning all the pictures he had collaged along it. However, his eyes kept drifting back to one picture in particular: the one of Broken Discipline when they first started out; back when Roxas thought being in a band was fun.

He found it special because it held something that he rarely saw anymore – It showed Sora smiling.

And it wasn't his usual smirk that he now wore all the time … but an actual smile. The kind of smile that showed that they all used to enjoy being in a band, rather than be in one for the popularity. The kind of smile Roxas wished his brother would make again.

Roxas stared at the picture for a moment longer before closing the door.

Upon doing so, the door no longer shielded who was behind it – Kairi. Roxas took a step back as he stared at her in surprise, not only because she startled him, but also because of the look of anger she bore. "Ka-?"

"Where did you get the tape?" Kairi demanded before Roxas could even speak. Roxas felt a chill run up his back after the question sunk in his head. However, all he did was fix his posture and cross his arms in a cool way.

"I have my sources." He said nonchalantly. (Letting her really know he had actually bribed an AV geek with a fifty dollar bill to find and give him the tape didn't exactly sound very wise.) However, he knew his answer wasn't going to ease Kairi, but he didn't care because it meant she'd be at least talking about what he wanted – her joining the band. Maybe he could try to persuade her once again.

Roxas could've sworn he saw Kairi's eyes go from indigo to red in mere milliseconds, and he tensed up. The look she was giving him was deadly. The blond's eyes continued to hold surprise when she suddenly held up wrinkled, folded piece of paper -- one that looked as if it were balled up and then carefully reopened and smoothed out – and immediately recognized it to be the one he wrote to her.

"Why are you so _persistent_??" Kairi asked irritatedly. Could you really blame her? How hard was it to understand that she wanted NO part in Broken Discipline?

Roxas narrowed his eyes slightly at her question, "Why are _you_ so _stubborn_?"

"Excuse me?! I TOLD you I didn't wanna be in your stupid--"

"-- Our band is NOT stupid!" Roxas defended angrily.

"No, I'm sorry... just the members are!!" Kairi coyly corrected.

Tossing aside that he was also a part of the insult, Roxas' eyes narrowed further. Even though he inwardly agreed that Riku, Sora, and, of course, Axel did act stupid at some points, they were his friends regardless. And _nobody_ insults his friends!

The blond clenched a tight fist at his side while the other gripped his backpack's strap, and his eyes flared red just as Kairi's did.

"You know what?! ... Nevermind. I could care less now if you weren't in the band!"

Kairi's eyes widened dramatically. _Did he just say what I think he said?!_

"W-what??"

Without another spoken word, Roxas tossed on his bag, turned around, and made his way down the end of the almost vacant hall; disappearing behind the corner, and leaving a very shocked Kairi behind.

_He gave up... He finally gave up!_ Kairi felt a smile of utter relief and pure joy tugging at her lips and allowed it to fully show across her face. She could finally diminish the thought of having to protest against joining Broken Discipline ever again! But...

_Why do I feel so bad...? Was that really the way to end it...?_ Her indigo eyes slowly cast downward to the tiled hallway floor. Guilt began to grab hold of her. _I ended up insulting someone who meant no harm... Oh my destiny, I'm horrible!! _She found herself staring at the corner where Roxas had vanished around. It only made her inwardly beat herself up more. Kairi was never the person to really yell at somebody, no matter how annoying, or pushy they were to her... and the way she had just treated Roxas made her feel something she amateurishly wasn't used to. _I have to go apologize!_

"Kairi!"

The redhead whipped around to see Namine and Selphie running toward her, and instantly tensed upon doing so. Kairi had been avoiding the two ever since the previous evening when they tried talking to her. She knew they were trying to persuade her to listen to them about something involving Broken Discipline – something they claimed to be 'important' -- but Kairi was too stubborn to care about whatever it was they desperately wanted to tell her.

As soon as Namine and Selphie came to a halt in front of the missing 'trio' member, Selphie, still in a huff, shot a glare at Kairi; whom instantly felt even more uneasy.

"What's... the big... idea, HUH?!" the brunette panted. Her voice was full of anger, making Kairi's heart sink in her chest.

"I'm sor--"

"Do you have any clue how many times we've been trying to talk to you?!" Kairi flinched before Selphie continued, "Oh, but how could you? Seeing how you've been _avoiding us_!!"

"Selphie!" Namine hurriedly intervened, grabbing a hold of her friend's forearm.

Selphie shifted her gaze to the blonde, trying to calm herself, "Well--!!"

"She's trying to apologize, so let her!" Namine then turned her attention to her sister, her eyebrows raising when she clearly saw what Kairi's eyes held: sadness. "Kairi, what's wrong?"

Kairi paused after hearing the question and averted looking into their eyes, speaking in a low, guilty tone, "I spoke to Roxas-- ... more like insulted him, and he gave up trying to change my mind about the joining the band."

Gasps from the two filled her ears and she looked at them. They were now both wearing saddened expressions, though Namine showed it more, "Oh, Kairi, you didn't."

"W-well, what does it matter if I don't?? I never wanted to anyway!"

"Kai, it matters a lot!" said Selphie, making Kairi blink.

"What do you mean? A-at least I don't have to deal with Sora! That's a good thing, right?"

"Wrong!"

Kairi blinked, her eyes widening at Selphie sternness, "...?!"

Namine sighed before taking a step forward, "You really should've listened to what we had to say before talking to Roxas."

"But why?"

"Because when he gave us that tape, he, Riku, and Axel explained something to us..."

**--Flashback--**

_Selphie and Namine's eyes widened as they quickly pulled their heads up from reading the note that was just handed to them, to look at the three Populars standing before them. _

"_You guys mean it? Kairi's in the band?!" Selphie asked, trying to mask the excitement in her voice with complete shock and suspicion (which wasn't that hard). They inspected the three's faces, trying to find a sign that were were lying and that this was all a cruel prank to toy with their best friend/sister. _

"_Yeah, after getting my hands on that tape and showing these two," Roxas began, thumbing towards Riku and Axel behind him, "They--"_

"_She blowed us away!!" Axel cut in with a large grin as he pushed Roxas to the side, who nearly fell against the locker beside him upon impact. _

_Riku's hand made contact with his forehead in a soft __**smack**__ as he groaned and spoke out in a mumble against Axel's horrid grammar sense, "It's 'blew away,' dumbass..."_

_Selphie and Namine traded looks of surprise as Roxas straightened himself up and moved back in front of the hyperactive redhead, "Yeah. And, well..." His voice trailed off as rubbed the back of his head, trying to find the right words. _

"_We want Kairi in the band." Riku coolly finished, crossing his arms over his chest and rolling his eyes over how they were all treated the situation – as if it were complicated (though it somewhat was). "It's that simple." _

"_What's on the tape?" Namine asked as she looked at the said video in Selphie's grasp._

"_We're not telling, but let's just say it has a lot to do with our decision." Roxas replied, and judging by the look he was giving the girls, that was that. They wouldn't be able to find out what's on the tape until later._

_Selphie arched one of her perfect brows, a testing expression on her face, "You're not pullin' our leg, are ya...?" The Populars all blinked at this, and Namine quickly pulled the same face as her friend, "'Cause, I swear, if you are--!!" _

"_N-no, no! We swear it's not a prank, or a joke, or anything like that!!" Roxas quickly protested as Axel, scared out of his wits by Selphie's tone, fiercely waved his hands in front of himself in their defense. Inspecting them once more before concluded that they were, indeed, telling the truth, Selphie added, "What about Sora? How does he feel about this??" Both she and Namine were having a hard time believing that Sora would even consider opening Kairi's pathway into 'his band.' _

_Roxas, Riku, and Axel stiffened up at her question. Riku looked away from them all, his head tilted downward, while Axel shamefully played with a lock of his fiery-red hair. Seeing how it was up to him to break the news due to his band mates' quietness, Roxas took a deep breath and slowly, yet softly, admitted, "Uhhh... he doesn't... know about it." _

_**...**_

"_WHAT!?" the brunette and blonde girls suddenly exclaimed in unison, earning head turns from a lot of their fellow students, and alarming the three Populars; causing them all to either flinch or jump back. _

"_D-double scaryyy!" Axel whimpered, peeking out from behind his silver-haired friend's shoulder. _

"_Whaddya mean he doesn't know?!" Selphie demanded as Namine continued to stare wide-eyed and gap-mouthed at the three. It was one thing if Sora, the most obnoxious Popular boy in school, knew that Kairi was in the band... but for Sora to __**not**__ know was something completely different! He was going to be pissed! Not only because his band mates and dearest friends decided on something as big as this behind his back, but also because... it was Kairi! The two couldn't stand each other! _

"_Are y-you serious?!" Namine stammered, still in disbelief. Riku awkwardly shifted his weight from one leg to the other. It was obvious he wasn't used to keeping things from Sora – they were best friends, after all. They knew each other the longest (aside from the brothers), and always told each other everything; including things that they wouldn't dare say to the other members of the Populars. _

_Roxas slowly nodded in response after a long, uncomfortable silence. _

"_Why would you keep this from him?" Namine asked, looking back and forth between the three teen boys. _

"_We have a good reason!" Roxas perked up, turning his head to look over his shoulder at his nodding comrades. Selphie and Namine perked up as well, eager to hear what he had to say next. "Y'see... we think Kairi might be able to help up by joining the band... in more than one way." _

"_How so?" Selphie asked with a skeptic look while Namine tilted her head to the side with interest. _

"_Well... for one, obviously because of her singing voice--"_

"_Her hot, HOT singing voice!!" Axel suddenly chimed in with a cat-like smirk._

_Roxas paused, staring at Axel oddly before resuming, "--And also because we think she might be able to change Sora--"_

"_That cold, COLD boy!!" Axel cut in again, pouting this time, before instantly shutting up after receiving 'STFU' glares from Roxas, Riku, and Selphie. _

_Selphie then blinked in realization, "Wait a sec. How can Kai possibly change Sora?!" Namine nodded in agreement to the question. _

"_Sora wasn't always the way he is now."_

"_You mean cocky," Selphie implied with a smirk, earning a glare from Riku, which, in turn, she ignored. _

_Roxas didn't even bother to protest against her remark and continued, "He let popularity get the better of him. Before we even formed Broken Discipline, he used to be... well, nice and considerate." Selphie and Namine glanced at each other. They tried to picture Sora being such a person. Was it possible? "And even though I got to know Kairi only a little, she seems like the kind of person who doesn't take crap from anyone. Trust me... I know." He finished with a sheepish laugh while scratching the back of his neck as he remember the couple of times Kairi snapped at him when they met. _

"_Yeah, running out of the room crying isn't taking crap..." Riku muttered, but Roxas heard and shot him a cold look. _

"_Tuesday wasn't the best day between them... but I think she could learn to stand up to Sora and make him realize he's not all he thinks he's cracked up to be now, and hopefully turn him back around. Something tells me Kairi has the ability to do that."_

_Namine leaned over to Selphie and whispered into her ear, "Selph, he's right... Kai could. Remember that Leon guy?" It was true. Despite her shyness, Kairi had a way with words, making people see the error of their ways, and making them face the facts. One example was a senior at their school, Leon. He and Kairi shared the same science class – which was the class he was failing. When the teacher assigned Kairi to be his tutor, he was too proud to admit he needed help. Kairi began to become more and more irritated with Leon with each passing session, and finally laid down the law calmly, yet sternly: he was failing, and being arrogant and proud wasn't going to bring his grades up. It apparently did the trick, because he went from an F+ to a B+. _

_Turning back to the Populars, the two girls nodded. "We know Kairi has what it takes t' kick Sora off his thrown," Selphie smirked happily. _

_A grin formed on the blond boy's face, "I knew it!" He gave a small laugh because he was indeed right about the redheaded girl, "D'you think you two could explain this to her? Seeing as she won't bother listening to any of us and all...?" _

"_Sure." Namine nodded with a smile. _

_Grabbing the blonde girl's wrist, Selphie spun around, tape in hand, and dashed down the hallway in the general direction of her best friend's locker, but not before cheerfully speaking out, "We'll go show her now!!"_

**--End Flashback--**

Kairi stared wide-eyed at her sister and lifelong friend. So that was it. Broken Discipline needed her help to bring the 'old Sora' back. They all believed she could do it...

_I get it now..._ she thought to herself. She then quickly turned around in the direction Roxas left. _Why didn't I listen to them...?! Now I feel even worse! Roxas needed my help and I insulted him and shot him down! No wonder he said what he did...! I'm... I'm no better than Sora! _

Turning back to Namine and Selphie, Kairi tightly clutched the folded note still in her hand, "Now I really need to go apologize to Roxas... and tell him I've reconsidered!"

* * *

Roxas was making his way closer to the school's main entrance. On his face, a look of anger and utter defeat. How could Kairi treat him that way? Did she not care that he, Axel, and Riku wanted her help? Despite what happened at the auditions, he was still shocked at how coldly Kairi passed on helping them in regards to Sora. It seemed he was wrong about her, after all...

"Roxas! Wait up!!"

Stopping when he heard his name being called from down the hall, Roxas looked over his shoulder. His eyes widened; Kairi was running toward him.

Turning around to fully face her, Roxas muttered under his breath with a sigh, "Now what?"

Reaching the blond she had been looking for, Kairi tried to catch her breath. Roxas rolled his eyes as he watched her pant. What could she possibly want?

"I'm... I'm sorry!"

_What...?_ Roxas thought, raising a brow in confusion.

"Listen, I know you probably don't believe me, and you're probably still mad at me-- and I don't blame you!" Kairi hurriedly began once she was 'calm' enough, earning a look from Roxas. "But, I swear... if I knew about the whole 'Sora situation,' I never would've said you guys were stupid!"

"Wait, what?" Roxas questioned, even more confused than he was seconds ago. If she knew about it? "What d'you mean?"

"Namine and Selphie. I've been... avoiding them since yesterday, and just now they told me about how you wanted my help with Sora!" there was guilt in her voice, but with each passing word, it was becoming easier for Kairi to explain her side of the story.

Roxas blinked his deep blue orbs. "So that explains--"

Kairi nodded, frowning at her previous actions, "Why I turned you down."

Something then instantly clicked in Roxas' head, and a small smile was starting to perk at his lips as his eyes shined in realization, "... So that means...?"

Again, the redhead nodded slowly with a matching smile, "Can I still be your lead singer...?"

"I have to think about it..." Roxas right away teased, pulling a face to pretend he really was thinking hard. With a playful huff, Kairi lightly hit the boy's arm and giggled. Roxas joined in with a laugh of his own, and then smiled, "Thanks a lot, Kairi..."

"You're welcome, and I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's behind us. All that matters is what's ahead for our band!"

_'Our band...' _Kairi thought with a small smile, _I guess I can say that now, too, right...?_

"Hey," Roxas tuned in, making Kairi snap out of it, "When can you come over to practice?"

"Uh... come over...?" _Practice?_

"To my house; we have our own band room for practicing! Can you now?" he sounded excited at the thought.

"U-uh... s-sure..." Kairi halfheartedly answered. It was obvious she was nervous about the request.

"Great! Let's go!" Roxas happily said, grabbing Kairi's hand and pulling her outside, a faint blush taking over his cheeks at their hand contact. "That reminds me... we need to think of what to say to Sora... Oh, crap! I forgot about that! Well... it's now or never, right, Kairi? He'll just have to deal! ... R-right?"

Kairi gulped at said boy's younger brother's own uneasiness ,and squeaked out an, "Uh-huh..." as she continued to let him drag her down the sidewalk. _Sora's gonna be so pissed when he sees me and finds out! What'll he say? What'll he do?! Oh, destiny-- What have I gotten myself into...?!_

* * *

**A LOT of chaos, Kairi... A lot of chaos...**

**Now you guys know the truth!! Whew! Well... there you go!! Chappie 3 (and a whole chappie wasted by a Flashback)!! And after how long?! -forces a laugh, nervous- I told you it sucks, so don't pelt me with stuff! I'll be working on the next chappie soon, as soon as I figure out a way around my work duties. So please, please, please be patient with me!! (As if you haven't been this entire time!!) **

**Sorafanluver – Thank you for waiting! I hope you're still out there reading this! xD; **

**soraloveskairi159 – Thank you, thank you! ;w;**

**boomstick – Thanks so much! It means a lot to read that! **

**SKR3 – It's a good thing I finally did, huh? xD;;**

**sorasheart281 – Thank you!!**

**Russ Dog – Haha, not really. I actually had the chappies typed out in advance, I only edited them a bit before posting them. And, well, as you can see... I'm not fast at all. n.n;; Thank you for reading, though!**

**estrellaz – Not a very fast update, huh? Yeah, Roxas is a sweetheart! That's one of the reasons we love him! **

**Ayemi Tsukada – Sharing... sharing is good. -clings to Sora- Are we still allowed to share, or are you mad at me for not updating fast? xD You'll have to wait and read for everyone's feelings to be revealed! Thanks for reading, buddy!! **

**The Second Sight Alchemist – Thank you!!**

**Dark JaylenX – Thankies!!**

**Moving-at-the-speed-of-Alli – I'm so happy you do!! I'm sorry for the wait!!**

**latafmodginkianp1618 – Oh, trust me, I took my time. xD;;**

**MoonKitty136 – Yes! To the corner Sora! And don't forget your dunce cap!! Heehee. I'd never do that to him, really... Axel's funny, huh? x3 I love him! Thanks for reading!**

**sakuno101 – I'm so glad you didn't think it was boring! Thank you!! **

**acquired.minds – Thankfully I did! Thanks! n-n **

**Kintora – Half insane? He IS insane! xD And omigosh! Ding, ding, ding!! Someone knew the song she sang!! Haha! You really watched the movie just to hear that song?! I feel so touched! I'm usually the one who does that when I read a fic that inspires me enough, and for someone to do that because of my story is making me blush and makes me wanna cry!! Thank you so much!! -hugs- ;w; **

_**THANK YOU FOR PUTTING UP WITH ME ALL THIS TIME!!**_

**And remember to REVIEW!! Otherwise I won't even bother posting a new chapter! Please, please review!!**

**-Nizzi**

* * *


End file.
